November 21, 2005

Singapore will stick to hanging

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore will stick to hanging as
its method of execution, the government said on Monday, less
than two weeks before the planned hanging of an Australian drug
smuggler.

Lawyers for Nguyen Tuong Van -- who is due to be hanged on
December 2 following his conviction for drug smuggling --
earlier on Monday asked the Australian government to take the
case to the United Nations International Court of Justice in a
last-ditch bid to stop the execution. "We had previously
studied the different methods of execution and found no reason
to change from the current method used, i.e., by hanging,"
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Wong Kan
Seng said in reply to a question in parliament.

Laws enacted in 1975 prescribe death by hanging for anyone
aged 18 or over who is convicted of carrying more than 15 grams
(0.5 ounce) of heroin, 30 grams (1.1 ounces) of cocaine, 500
grams (17.6 ounces) of cannabis or 250 grams (8.8 ounces) of
methamphetamines.

Nguyen, 25, was arrested at Singapore's Changi airport in
December 2002 while trying to smuggle 400 grams (0.9 lb) of
heroin while in transit for Australia.